It has been a fun challenge to “campfire-ify” everyday meals, meaning it has been a fun challenge to take meals that I would normally make at home and make them over the campfire instead. They end up mostly the same but with a few unique quirks. While I’ve been doing this with various levels of cooking success, there is one success that has been consistent no matter how the meal turns out, adding variety to campfire menus!

This Campfire Steak Thai Pasta is one of those meals. I make some variation of this meal every few weeks at home. Since I usually have pasta and the ingredients for the sauce on hand, It’s a great “low plan” meal as you can add whatever veggie and protein you have going bad in the fridge.

That being said, feel free to make this recipe your own. Don’t eat red meat? No problem! Hate a certain veggie? Life is too short to be eating something you don’t like! Here are a few variation ideas I’ve used, but really, the sky is the limit.

Veggie Variations:

• Peppers: bell peppers, spicy peppers, non-spicy peppers
• Onions: white/yellow/red onions, green onions
• Mushrooms
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Carrots: large carrots, shaved carrots, matchstick carrots
• Asparagus

Meat Variations:

• No meat
• Chicken
• Pork
• Steak
• Meatballs
• Egg

Let’s get cooking! The campsite I made this at was waterfront so this was my view while cooking. A MUCH nicer view that my kitchen at home!

At Home Prep:

Like most of my campfire meals, this one requires some upfront at home prep time to make life at the campsite easier and more relaxing. For this meal, that meant cutting the veggies and packing them according to when they will be added to the dish, cooking the pasta, and making the sauce.

Two things to keep in mind when prepping: First, cook the pasta so that its a little underdone, knowing that it will be reheated on the campfire and will soften a little more then. If you cook too much at home, you might end up with mushy noodles. Second, if you use a cooler to bring your food camping, be mindful of your packing container choice. The pasta and veggies are usually okay, but I’ve definitely ended up with a premade sauce all over my cooler before, and that makes for an interesting time where all your food tastes the same.

At the Campsite:

When you start thinking about dinner, your first step is to build the campfire. This dish is best cooked over coals to ensure even heat, but open flame will do in a pinch if you’re a more experienced campfire chef or are just getting hangry. If you’ve got the time, let your coals develop and push them under a grate. Place your cast iron on, let it heat up, add your oil, and let that heat up. Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to start cooking!

Step 1: Add your peppers and carrots to the oil. Let these cook for about 5 minutes until they start to soften.

Step 2: While your veggies are starting to cook, get your meat cooking on the side. We cooked steak for this meal so it was cooked right on the grate, 3-4 minutes per side. Cooking time will depend on the type of meat you’re using, how big it is, and how well done you like it.

Step 3: After the peppers and carrots have started to soften, add your zucchini. This was also the time my steak needed to flip.

Step 4: Once the meat is done, remove it from the heat, let it rest a few minutes, and slice it into bitesize pieces. (I didn’t have the greatest knife so I cut my steak too big. It’s getting mixed into the pasta so that’s why you want it bitesize.)

Step 5 & 6: These happen in pretty quick succession so I didn’t get a picture. Once your zucchini are soft enough, add your sauce. Make sure to mix it up well before adding it. Let your sauce cook for a minute to thicken. This cooking time will depend on how hot your pan is. Once the sauce is just to desired thickness, add the noodles. If you let the sauce thicken too much, you might end up with too little to cover all the ingredients. Toss the noodles in the sauce, add the steak back in, mix it up well, and let it all cook together for a minute or two, until the noodles are heated through.

Step 7: Top with basil

Step 8: Serve and nom.

The amazing view is an optional ingredient, but highly recommended.

As always, let me know what substitutions you used and how your version turns out!